Grain-conveyer.



No. 675,815. Patented lune 4, |90I. J. CLARKE.

GRAIN CONVEYEB.

' 'on 1edBept.14,1900

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PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CLARKE, OF ORANGEV'ILLIC, CANADA.

GRAIN-CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,815, dated J une 4,1901. Application filed September 14,1900. Serial No. 30,082. (Nemodel.)

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Be it known that I, JOHN CLARKE, a subject of the Queen of Greatlritain, residing at Orangeville, in the county of Dufferin, Province ofOntario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGrain-Conveyers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object is in a simple, thoroughly practical, and efficient manner toobviate any liability of clogging or jam ming of grain in the boot orfoot of a grain-elevator.

In grain-elevators as comlnonly constructed the presence of an attendantis necessary at all times when the machine is running, for the reasonthat should the elevator stop, as from the breakage of the driving-beltor of such belt running off the pulley, the grain will continue to feedto the boot, thereby causing it to become clogged and requiring theoperator to remove such accumulation of grain before the conveyer canagain start.

In the device presented in this invention the above objection is in asimple and sure manner obviated without the addition tothe conveyer ofexpensive, cumbersome, or intricate mechanism.

Generally stated, the invention consists in combining with the lower ordrive wheel of a conveyer a feed-controlling device, consisting of abladed or compartment wheel driven directly from the drive wheel, as bya sprocket-chain or by a belt. The feed-wheel will receive the supply ofgrain from the scale or the hopper and discharge the same to the bucketsof the conveyer in quantities or charges corresponding to the capacityof the said buckets. The feed-wheel being driven directly from thedrive-wheel of the conveyer, it follows that should the drivingmechanism break or become deranged from any cause the feed-controllingwheel will instantly stop operating, thereby cutting off the supply ofgrain to the conveyer until the damage has been repaired. The blades ofthe feed-Wheel are of such length as to bring their outer edges into asclose proximity to the upper edges of the conveyer-buckets as possiblewithout touching when the said buckets are in their closest approach tothe feed-wheel. By this arrangement no space is left between thefeed-wheel and con veyer-buckets through which grain may escape to apoint below the conveyer. Furthermore, the shaft of the feed-wheel isarranged above the horizontal plane of that of the lower conveyer-drum,and in consequence when a compartment of the feed-wheel is rotated intoposition to discharge its contents into a conveyer-bucket the blade ofthe said feed-wheel, constituting the lower side of the compartment,will beinclined toward the receiving-bucket, thereby facilitating thetransfer of grain into the bucket. A shut-oit or gate may be combinedwith the feed-hopper to regulate the feed of grain to the feed-wheel orto cut off the feed entirely.

Further and more specific details of construction will hereinafter befully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, andin which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, I haveillustrated a form of embodiment of my invention, it being understoodthat other forms of embodiment thereof may be employed without departingfrom the spirit of the invention, and in the drawing the ligure is aview in elevation, partly in section, exhibiting so much of agrain-elevator as is necessary for a clear understanding of myinvention.

Referring to the drawing, A designates an ordinary endless bucketedconveyer, and ct and a2 the drums around which the conveyer passes, asusual. Located adjacent to the conveyer is the chute or hopper B, theplatform of which may or may not be provided with weighing mechanism B2,a cut-off b being provided for the purpose of closing thedischarge-mouth b2 of the chute. Mounted on a shaft C, arranged parallelwith the discharge-mouth b2, is a wheel c, provided with blades formingcompartments or pockets, the wheel receiving motion from the shaft a3 ofthe drum a2, in this instance through the medium of sprocket-wheels a4and c2 and a sprocket-chain a5, the said wheels and chain to be bypreference on the outside of the chute, thus to be free from dust andgrain. It will be obvious that instead of employing sprocketwheels and asprocket-chain for the purpose TOO the Wheel c may be driven by a beltand pulleys, and as this arrangement is obvious illustration is deemedunnecessary. The compartments or pockets of the wheel c are bypreference of a size to hold a charge of grain equal to the capacity ofthe buckets of the conveyer, so that in operation there will bepractically no waste of grain or any danger of clogging the boot of theconveyer. In order, further, to prevent the escape of grain to the boot,the Wheel c is housed in an approximately semicylindrical casing c3,joining with and opening into the hopper B at the discharge-mouth b2.From the discharge-mouth b2 forward to a point approximately inhorizontal line with the shaft C the wall of the casing closely coversthe said wheel, and from the said mouth rearward to a point inapproximately vertical line with the shaft C the wall of the casing alsoclosely covers the said wheel, the space between the two terminals ofthe walls of the casing presenting an escape-mouth c4, through which thegrain from the compartments of the wheel is discharged into the bucketsof the conveyer.

The operation of the apparatus will be obvious. It will be seen that thefeed of grain to the conveyer is controlled by the wheel c and that theoperation of the Wheel is dependent upon the conveyer, so that so longas al1 of the parts of the device are in proper working order there willbe a steady feed of grain to the conveyer; but should the conveyer berendered inoperative, as by the driving-belt (not shown) breaking orslipping from the driving-pulley, the feed-Wheel c will instantly' stop,and thereby eut olf the feed of grain to the conveyer and at the sametime prevent escape of grain to the boot.

It is to be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention tothe precise arrangement of and proportion of parts of the apparatusherein shown, as the same may be varied Without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination With a conveyer and its upper and lower supporting-drumsand a chute, of a bladed feed-Wheel arranged below the chute adjacent tothe conveyer, the shaft of the feed-wheel being above the horizontalplane of the shaft of the lower conveyerdrum, the feed-Wheel beinghoused in a casing having a mouth, through which the grain from thewheel is discharged to the conveyer, the feed-wheel being driven by theconveyer and the blades of the said wheel being of such length as tobring their edges into close proximity to the conveyer-buckets, when thelatter are in their closest approach to the feedwheel, thereby formingpractically a closed space between the compartment of the feedwheelbeing emptied and a conveyer-bucket during the transferring operation,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN CLARKE.

Vi tnesses:

THos. STEvENsoN, ELGIN MYERS.

